The present invention relates generally to a computer system in which objects resident therein are datatyped according to their type. Each type of object has a set of actions which can be performed on the object. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus, and an associated method, by which the actions which can be performed upon an object of a particular datatype are displaying in iconic form upon a computer display device. An action is performed upon the object by dragging and dropping an indication of the object upon the icon representation of the action.
A user of the computer system is able readily to graphically invoke the performance of more than one action on one or more objects. Operations conventionally requiring some application-specific knowledge are simplified, and are intuitively effectuable, through operation of an embodiment of the present invention.
In an exemplary implementation, e-mail procedures are simplified. Generation of an e-mail message to a selected recipient together with attachment of an object to the e-mail message is invoked graphically through simple drag-and-drop movements. In other exemplary implementations, actions associated with address cards and network operations are, analogously, graphically invoked.
The use of computers has become pervasive in modern society. Many business, and other, operations are dependent upon the operation of such computers. The popularization of personal computers and computer work stations are exemplary of computers which are widely used to perform a wide variety of functions. Personal computers and computer work stations are characteristic devices which permit their operation as standalone devices, thereby to permit decentralization of computer functions.
Such devices can, however, be advantageously networked together by way of networked connections to permit transfer of data between the separate devices. Users located at disparate locations are permitted access to data, objects, and applications, resident elsewhere, but connected to a local computer or work station by way of a network connection with another computer or work station.
A user of a computer, whether a stand-alone device or a device connected with other computers in a networked connection, typically implements effectuation of computer operations by way of a user interface. The user interface includes input actuators, such as an actuation keypad or a computer xe2x80x9cmousexe2x80x9d, and a computer display terminal. Through appropriate actuation of the input actuators, the user of the computer is able to, inter alia, initiate the performance of actions upon selected objects. An object is any byte vector that can be determined to be of a particular datatype. A file contained in the file system of a disk drive is exemplary of an object. An attachment to an email message is also exemplary of an object. In such case, the byte vector forming the object is embedded in a larger disk file containing the entire email message, or even email in box.
Graphical interfaces have been developed to facilitate ease of user interaction with the computer. Operating systems or environments such as the Maclntosh(trademark), Windows-95(trademark), and CDE(trademark) (common desktop environment) operating systems and environments, utilize graphical interfaces. Each of 25 such operating systems or environments utilize iconic representations, i.e., icons, displayable upon a computer display device. The icons represent, inter alia, objects. By selectively dragging-and-dropping the icons, operations are performed upon the objects of which an icon is representative. The use of graphical interfaces are advantageous due to their intuitive nature. That is to say, even a relatively unskilled user of the computer is able to implement effectuation of desired operation of the computer even without detailed knowledge of the underlying operation. And, instead of requiring the operator to enter, by way of a conventional computer keypad, a long string of instructions, by appropriate movement of selected icons and performing operations thereon, a user of the computer is more easily able to effectuate the desired actions.
The objects are identified by a datatype, such as an Excel(trademark), Powerpoint(trademark), or Microsoft Word(trademark), datatype. And, each of the different datatypes has associated therewith an action menu. An action menu lists actions which can be performed upon the objects of the particular datatypes. The action menu is, for instance, displayable in a pull-down menu display, conventional in nature. Additional actions can be added, or actions removed from, the action menus associated with the particular datatypes. And, additional datatypes and action menus associated therewith can also be installed at a computer.
Conventionally, an action is chosen to be performed upon an object. For instance, a pull-down menu is caused to be displayed upon the computer display device. An action to be performed upon the object is selected and the action upon the object is performed. That is to say, conventionally, a single action is performed upon a single object. If an additional action is to be performed upon the object, an additional action must be selected. And, when a particular action is selected to be performed, the selected action is performed upon only a single object. If the action requires specification of additional objects, the additional objects must be subsequently specified by a manner that varies according to the action. The manner, e.g., could be to choose in succession each additional object from an object selection dialog. Or, manual entry, in succession, could be performed of the full pathnames of each additional object. Access to the action menus associated therewith and separate selection of the selected actions must be made.
It would be advantageous if a manner could be provided in which the additional objects to be acted upon could be more easily selected.
It is in light of this background information related to computer systems that significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.
The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides apparatus, and an associated method, by which to permit convenient selection of actions to be performed upon one or more objects of a particular datatype. The actions which can be performed upon an object of a particular datatype are displayed in iconic form upon a computer display device. The action is performed upon the object by dragging the object""s icon representation, also displayed upon the computer display device, to the icon representation of the action.
Thereby, the performance of an action on more than one file is graphically invoked. Levels of application-specific knowledge required of a user of the computer system to invoke the performance of the selected actions upon the selected objects need not be significant due to the intuitive nature of the invocation procedure.
Operation of an embodiment of the present invention simplifies procedures involved in e-mail message generation. Generation of an e-mail message to a selected recipient together with attachment of an object to the e-mail message is invoked graphically. Icons representing the addressing of the e-mail message and an attachment action are displayed upon the computer display device. Simple drag-and-drop movements of objects to the icons representative of the appropriate actions permit the effectuation of the generation of the e-mail message. Operation of other embodiments of the present invention analogously simplify other operations, such as address card operations and network operations. Operation of an embodiment of the present invention permits, with a drag-and-drop procedure the performance of a verb object to/with/in/for, e.g., xe2x80x9cmail toxe2x80x9d, upon a distinguished, i.e., selected object.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing for graphically invoking of an action to be performed upon at least one object is provided. The at least one object is identified by a selected datatype. The selected datatype has an action menu associated therewith which includes at least one action. The method includes providing for iconically representing the at least one action of the action menu associated with the datatype with an iconic representation of the action. The method also includes providing for selectively dragging and dropping the at least one object upon one of the iconic representations of the at least one action. And, the method provides for invoking performance of the selected action upon both the selected object, identified by the at least one dropped object.
In these and other aspects, therefore, apparatus and an associated method, graphically invokes an action to be performed upon a selected object and at least one dropped object identified by a selected datatype. The selected datatype has an action menu associated therewith. The action menu includes at least one action. The at least one action of the action menu associated with the datatype is iconically represented with an iconic representation of the action. The at least one object is selectively dragged and dropped upon the iconic representation. Performance of the action upon the selected object and the dropped object is thereafter invoked.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and the scope thereof can be obtained-from the-accompanying drawings which are briefly summarized below, the following detailed description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention, and the appended claims.